Shantin haastattelu

03/05/11 09:09

What
is Tantra – what are its traditions and
roots?
The roots of Tantra can be tracked back about 6000
years and there are several different lineages and ways
to practice Tantra. I am not very interested in old
scriptures or concepts. For me Tantra is here and now
– listening to the wisdom that can be accessed by
everyone who tunes in to the source that is available
to all of us. My personal practice is rooted in the so
called Osho Neo Tantra, but I have always been open to
other “schools” too. The last years I have
been increasingly inspired by shamanism and going more
into a shamanic Tantra. I want to stay open and follow
the direction that feels most true to myself in every
moment, and I encourage my students to do the same.
For me Tantra is about being at ease and natural,
allowing yourself to be as authentic as possible,
dropping masks and stopping to please others. Tantra is
about embracing what is. Embracing your emotions, all
of them, embracing and accepting what happens in your
life and the people around you. It is about your
attitude toward life and letting go of judgment and
evaluations. And knowing that we are all one, we are
like the cells of one body. If one is treated badly all
the cells will suffer to some degree. We are all divine
beings and as we see divinity in each other it will be
very difficult not to love.

How
can you apply Tantra in everyday
life?
It is not possible to only be a “tantric
lover”. If you want to be a tantric lover you
need to practice being a tantric cleaner, driver,
parent etc. Being tantric is being present with
whatever you do and doing it with love and care.
Enjoying what you do. Every tantrica falls out of the
tantric state once in a while by loosing touch with
themselves, loosing trust in life and getting caught up
in stress and illusions. But there is a tantric way to
handle the falling out: by accepting that too, stopping
and taking a few deep breaths. Tantra in everyday life
is about the quality of how you connect with others
around you, how you react to everyday situations and
first of all, how you connect with yourself.
How
did you come across Tantra yourself?
I came across Tantra on my first visit to India in
1998. In the Osho Ashram in Pune I met my first and
maybe most important teacher Radha C. Luglio. She was
initiated by Osho to start the Tantra school in Pune.
She was a very intuitive teacher from whom I also
learned a way of teaching that creates exercises in
which the practitioner learns from experience instead
of words spoken by the teacher.

Why
were you drawn to it?
Surprise, surprise! My relationship to my sexuality and
to myself as a woman was not totally uncomplicated. A
minor sexually related incident in my childhood caused
a significant trauma that led me to be incapable of
enjoying sex. Seeing the ad for a Tantra workshop at
the Ashram gave me chills and filled me with fear
– a clear sign that this was exactly what I
needed!
How
has Tantra helped you in your life?
The 5 day workshop really changed my life. So much
happened. For the first time I felt real acceptance for
myself as a woman. I let go of a lot of inhibitions,
shame, fear and other burdens. And after that every new
workshop I participated in took me further in the
direction of more freedom, pleasure and ecstasy in my
life. I became more present, more vital and more alive!
A few years later I was asked to start teaching Tantra
in Finland. After the huge transformation I had
experienced I felt ready for it and have now been
leading workshops for 8 years in Finland, Sweden and
Estonia. And I just love it!